We Are Not a Couple (Yet)
by Tris Pond
Summary: "What?" Tsukishima asks shocked. "You aren't angry that she thought we were a couple?" he is so stunned that he doesn't think about making some cruel joke about it. "Hum, no?" Hinata replies, confused. "Why would I?" "You do know that we aren't a couple, right?" of course it is a dumb question, then again Hinata is dumb. Then something amazing happens: Hinata actually blushes.
1. One

Note: Story was written for Tsukihina Week and HaikyuuWriteCamp. Cross-posted on AO3. There is a Portuguese translation available.

* * *

Tsukishima wasn't surprised when Hinata asked for his help again to study when they were second years. It wasn't like he had got smarter and it seemed like now he was finally understanding a little that he had to show better results on his tests.

"Please, help me!" Hinata begged.

"What do I gain from it?" Tsukishima asked, pretending he wasn't interested.

Of course he didn't want to help Hinata, to lose his precious time on an impossible mission. But he also knew that he would have to do it anyway. Even if there wasn't Suga and Daichi to threat him anymore, Chikara was scary on his own.

"I'll do anything you want," Hinata replied, desperate.

Right now, there wasn't anything Tsukishima wanted him to do. But this opportunity was too good to let it slip away.

"Fine. You owe me. I'll think of something and you will have to do it," Tsukishima said.

And that was how he had ended up meeting Hinata three times a week after practice. It was a lot of time, but less than that wouldn't get them anywhere (more than once Tsukishima wondered how Hinata had managed to be in the same year that he).

It hadn't been easy to find a place to study. First they had tried to study at the library, but Hinata was afraid of the lady there. Then, they had tried to use the volleyball club room and it was worse, with Hinata getting distracted every second with volleyball. Not wanting to go to Hinata's house or having him on his, that only left Tsukishima with one option. They now went every time to a café they liked, with Hinata paying for them.

Today was one of these days and Tsukishima was trying to stop himself from strangling his teammate as he answered wrong again.

As usual, Kei left him trying to find where he was his mistake and he called the waitress. He didn't ask what Hinata wanted, already used to his wishes.

"Hi, I want a black coffee," he started to say, but he was cut off by the waitress.

"...And your boyfriend will want a tea, I gotta," she said happily and then she rushed off.

What. Boyfriend? Hinata wasn't his boyfriend.

He took so long trying to understand, to process the words, that he was still shocked when the waitress was once again in front of them, this time with their orders. Hinata drops his books, happy with the distraction.

"There you go, this is yours," she says, placing the coffee next to Tsukishima. "And this is for your boyfriend".

"Thanks!" Hinata says.

"What?" Tsukishima asks shocked. "You aren't angry that she thought we were a couple?" he is so stunned that he doesn't think about making some cruel joke about it.

"Hum, no?" Hinata replies, confused. "Why would I?"

"You do know that we aren't a couple, right?" of course it is a dumb question, then again Hinata is dumb.

Then something amazing happens: Hinata actually blushes.

"Yes, of course, I know it," he says defensively. "But why I should be mad about it? You know you're good looking Stupyshima, so I think it's good she thought I was with you".

Yes, technically Tsukishima knew that. There were way too many girls confessing to him or asking about him to Yamaguchi to not make him think that. Yet to hear Hinata say it out loud made him feel weird.

"Thank you?" he said unsure.

Hinata widened his eyes, clearing not having expected this reaction.

"Ohh, who are you?" he asked suspiciously.

"Just go back to study, you already lost so much time" he said and pushed the forgotten book on Hinata's direction.

And so he did and from several minutes they went back to studying, with Tsukishima mostly explaining things that Hinata should already know or be able to figure out on his own. Then the redhead got distracted and, as he always did, he tried to drink a bit from the rest of Kei's coffee.

He was able to save his drink just by putting it in a high place, laughing with the irritation clear on Hinata's face. Then the other smiled as if an idea had just appeared.

"Come on, Tsukishima! Don't be so mean. Why don't you let your own boyfriend drink it?" Hinata said, loud enough that people close to him turned to them.

"Shut up," Kei said, too ashamed to be causing such a scene in the middle of a cafe.

"Sorry, but I'm not Yamaguchi," Hinata provoked back and then managed go grab Tsukishima's coffee and drink it. He returned it empty.

Tsukishima rolled his eyes, but secretly he didn't mind. Yes, Hinata was far from being Yamaguchi, but right now it wasn't his best friend he wanted to be with. He would never admit it, yet he was having fun with Hinata, even if they were pretending to be a couple.


	2. Two

It had been three weeks since the waitress had thought that he and Hinata were a couple and Kei knew that it was bullshit, but he still couldn't forget it.

When he got home that day, he had started to think about what it would be like if Hinata really dated someone and somehow that someone became himself in his imagination.

Kei started wondering what it would be like to kiss Hinata, if he would make that surprised expression, if he would reject him, and things only got worse from there. Even in his dreams the redhead had appeared recently. Once, while they were training, he even got hit because he was thinking about him and definitely not in the way a teammate should.

He tried to ignore what he felt when he realized that he really liked the boy, no matter how stupid it was, responding as little as possible to what he said and staying as far away as he could. However, Hinata didn't let him get away so easily (on second thought, he should have prepared for something like this).

"I don't know what the problem is, Tsukishima," he said when Kei failed to escape a study session with him. 'But you are important to me, so I will not let you go," he said with conviction, almost as if he were announcing once again that Karasuno would be champion.

Kei looked at him in surprise as he felt his heart racing. Honestly, the only people who had said something like that to him were Yamaguchi and his parents, not even Akiteru had tried to stop him from getting away. He wasn't used to having people wanting to be in his life so badly, but one look at Hinata was enough to know that he wouldn't give up.

"Okay," he replied simply and stopped trying to ignore him.

They managed to get back to normal a little that day, with Tsukishima explaining the school's affairs and Hinata, most of the time, listening. A few hours, Kei could almost forget how he felt about him.

But Hinata did not make it easy. Kei had hoped that he wouldn't bring up the subject of that day again, but he seemed to have fun in making jokes about it and occasionally said something about their supposed relationship, when they were away from people they knew.

When, once again, he talked about it, saying that Tsukishima shouldn't be so impatient with his boyfriend, Kei decided that it was time to fight back. It wasn't just him who could joke about it.

"Well, I'm annoyed that my boyfriend can't concentrate on his homework for three seconds," he said, keeping his expression nonchalant. He took pleasure in Hinata's absolutely shocked expression.

"Sorry," he replied after a few seconds, when he finally managed to recover from the shock and to Kei's surprise, he remained silent for the rest of the study session.

Kei smiled. Maybe things could get interesting after all.

The next day, they acted like nothing had happened, still teasing each other, but without saying anything about relationships, since they didn't go to coffee. Instead, they focused on volleyball training.

Kei was tired before he even stepped into the gym. He hadn't been able to sleep well the night before, waking up frightened by the dream he had had and for some reason feeling guilty.

"Tsukishima! Stop being so lazy," complained Hinata while the blonde narrowly missed a block, disappointed. He thought that Kei had already overcome this phase of not dedicating himself to volleyball.

Tsukishima contained the urge to roll his eyes, because Hinata was partly right. He had jumped a little too late; but that was because he was already at the end of training and he was getting tired. Not everyone had the infinite energy of him and Kageyama.

"Idiot, he's just really bad," Kageyama interjected, on the other side of the net, with a mocking smile.

Kei knew he shouldn't be angry. He had been dealing with the arrogant boy for over a year. But at that moment, his comment only added to the frustration he was feeling with himself. He didn't need his opinion.

"Kageyama! Stop being so rude," Hinata complained, but without really looking angry at him.

Not that Tsukishima was really expecting that Hinata would get angry with the setter to defend him, especially about something so stupid. He contained the urge to answer Kageyama back, knowing that in a few seconds he would have a much better chance of showing who was superior.

"Hey, you can do it. You play better than that," Hinata spoke softly, his expression serious.

"I'm just tired," Kei muttered back.

"But you still haven't reached your limit. I know that," he replied with conviction, probably thinking of all the times that they have played together.

Kei nodded, while processing his proximity. When had he become so pathetic? They weren't even touching, but it was more than enough to bring all the dreams back.

He looked around the court, preparing for the next move. He saw Yamaguchi's worried look before he smiled at him from across the court and picked up the ball to play.

Tsukishima almost felt bad for Yamaguchi, because now there was no chance that he would let the other team win, regardless of what it would cost. He was going to prove to Kageyama who was the best and that Shōyō was right. He was far from his limit and he was going to show everyone that, even himself.

Tsukishima didn't know what the best part was: Yamaguchi's smile when the game ended, Kageyama's irritation, or the happiness that Hinata emanated.

"That's why I like you guys," said Tanaka, smiling. "You always play seriously".

"Bro, you made incredible plays in the game," commented Nishinoya and the two started talking, going away from the second year.

Hinata started to analyze his plays with Kageyama and Tsukishima stopped listening to the conversation for a while. When he got back to it, Yamaguchi was pulling his arm gently.

"Are you alright?" he asked, concerned.

Tsukki just nodded, not wanting to even think about the causes of his problems, which was very close to him. His best friend knew better than to insist and started talking about a new video game he was playing.

* * *

"You played very well today," said Hinata, when they sat at the table, having already said goodbye to Yamaguchi and Kageyama and going to the cafe.

Kei looked at him suspiciously, remembering how badly he was playing at the beginning of the game. It had been one of his worst performances in the past few months.

"I mean, after you started playing for real," he said, making a face. "In the beginning, you were terrible. But then even Kageyama couldn't think of a way to get past your block! And the attack you made was so cool, you should attack more," he spoke very excitedly.

Kei smiled. It had been a great feeling to make that attack and if he didn't love blocking so much and seeing the opponents' expression when they realized that there was nothing else they could do, maybe he would've wanted to play as opposite.

"Stop trying to distract me and let's study," he said.

"I can't even praise my boyfriend," said Shōyō, with an amused gleam in his eyes.

Kei tried to tell himself that he was used to being called that and that it didn't affect him at all, but that weird feeling came up again. It was different from what anything he had already felt for someone else, but it reminded him of affection, only stronger. He couldn't explain it. It wasn't a bad feeling, yet he was uncomfortable because of it.

"Your boyfriend is trying to secure your future," he replied back, having a lot of experience in pretending to be indifferent.

Hinata stared at him for another second, causing the sensation to expand even more, before sighing and picking up the notebook. Tsukishima also took his, although he was almost sure that he would not be able to get anything done now.


	3. Three

Yamaguchi was on his way back home, walking quietly with Kei. Honestly, he had missed his friend. Since Kei had started helping Hinata with his study, they spent less and less time together. He didn't blame him at all, he was even proud to see his friend finally helping someone else, but that didn't change the fact that he felt lonely too.

"Do you have to be at home now?" He asked his friend.

"No, but…" Tsukishima said, leaving unsaid that they were already on the way.

"Next week is Yachi's birthday," Yamaguchi said, changing the subject.

"It is?" Tsukishima replied, not very interested.

Yamaguchi was not affected by the apparent lack of interest. He knew how difficult it was for him to admit that he liked someone. Just saying that someone was bearable was rare, in fact. But Kei seemed to tolerate Yachi a little more than most people, which was a good thing because Yamaguchi would hate for his best friend to hate the person that he liked.

"I'm thinking of giving her a gift," he said.

"Did you already decide what it will be?"

"No," he admitted, he was a little desperate. He hadn't had enough friends to have an idea of what to give, but he hoped he could think of something. If he got too desperate, he would text Shimizu. "Can you help me to look for something?"

Kei agreed, without even complaining about how he wanted to go home, which Yamaguchi took as proof that he was not the only one missing their time together. But he said he wanted to eat before helping him.

"This coffee seems to be cool," Yamaguchi said, thinking about going in there for a bit.

For some reason, Tsukki went red. Maybe he was hot or had an allergy.

"Not here, I heard that this café is bad," he said and took him away from the café.

He offered some suggestions of gifts and so Yamaguchi found out how bad he was at it, even worse than he was. Thinking about it, even with some girls hitting on him, he didn't seem to be around any girls. Perhaps he had a hard time understanding them. Well, that was sure to complicate any relationship he might have.

* * *

Hinata was trying to study (yes, contrary to what most people thought, he tried to study at home). It was just that the subject was so boring, who cared about something that had happened 500 years ago?

"Onee-chan, where's the cake? Daddy said he was going to make it," his sister interrupted him.

He wasn't going to pretend he was sad that he had an excuse for not studying. But in fact he was a little sad about the reason, their father must have been traveling again and promised something he couldn't do, as usual.

"What cake do you want?" He asked, already knowing he would fix this situation. He hated it when Natsu didn't have the things she wanted because his father had forgotten, remembering very well how he felt.

Her mother kept warning him not to spoil her, but he didn't hear much. He was just doing what his father was supposed to do, after all.

She stopped to think and Shōyō smiled. She was so cute, no matter how many times he wanted to kill her.

"Kasutera!" she declared excitedly.

He should have known, she almost always asked him to. He headed for the kitchen and started making the requested cake, but when he went to take the eggs out of the fridge, his gaze fell on the strawberry tray that was there.

He smiled even more, remembering how funny he found it when he heard about Tsukishima's addiction to strawberries. It was so much like him and so different at the same time. Hinata couldn't imagine Kei desperately enjoying anything, but strawberry was perfect for him.

He remembered all the moments that Tsukishima had dedicated himself to helping him (even though he was angry about it many times) and the times that he found the other staring at the cake that the café sold, but that he was definitely not in the mood to eat (as if).

Without even thinking, Hinata's hands moved to pick up the ingredients to make a second cake.

* * *

Kei liked the breaks at school, finally having a free time after hours just listening to teachers talking, and he usually spent them talking quietly with Yamaguchi, since most of the classmates knew him well enough not to bother him too much.

Of course, once more, Hinata was not in the mood to let him follow his routine in peace.

Kei knew that Shōyō didn't exactly have a routine to who he shares his break with, having seen him with Kageyama, some boys and girls from class 1 and even Noya and Tanaka. A few times Hinata managed to convince Yamaguchi and Tsukishima to join him, but it was not an easy task.

Apparently, today was one of those days that for some reason he had decided to look for him. Kei tried to tell himself that he was not happy about it, not even when he saw the size of Shōyō's smile when he saw him.

"HEY, TSUKISHIMA!" Hinata shouted, attracting the attention of Kei's colleagues even more.

Kei looked at him in surprise, wanting to understand why he was there and why he seemed even more excited than usual.

Normally, Kei would try to pretend that he didn't know him or anything, but he knew that none of that would work with the redhead. So he just waited for Hinata to stand in front of him, carrying a bag of something.

Without saying anything, he handed him a pot, which contained… a cake? My God, was that a strawberry cake? Suddenly, Kei was hungry.

"What is it?" Kei asked confused, but took the cake anyway. It looked good.

"I was cooking for Natsu yesterday and well, there was some cake left" Hinata said, looking proud.

Wait, had Hinata done that? But he looked so good, really professional. Kei could almost taste it.

It took him a second to review the first information and remember that Natsu was Shōyō's sister. He wondered if she had the same infinite energy as him and how he managed to stay calm enough to cook.

"This is for me?" Kei asked, surprised.

"Yes, of course," Hinata said still confident. "I know you like strawberries."

Kei was more than surprised, he had no idea that Hinata knew that about him, much less that he was really going to do something with the information. Even though it was not made for him, it was really touching to see someone else remember him when he saw his favorite food. In addition, the cake looked good.

"Thank you," he said, holding the pot more tightly. He smiled widely at Hinata, not the usual mocking smile, but one to show his gratitude.

"It was nothing," Shōyō said humbly, choosing not to mention how his mother freaked out when she realized he had used the strawberry she was saving for a recipe and he had to buy a last-minute dessert to replace it.

"Hi, Hinata," greeted Yamaguchi, in an amused tone.

Kei was startled, having completely forgotten that his friend and the rest of the room were still there because he was so focused on Hinata. At least, by Shōyō's guilty look, he wasn't the only one.

"Oh, hi, Yamaguchi! All right?" He greeted and looked guilty at the cake. "I didn't know you were going to be here... I didn't bring you cake, but you can take my piece," with that, Yamaguchi raised his eyebrow, stopping himself from laughing.

Kei expected that his friend would deny it, saying that he didn't need to, because he knew very well that Yamaguchi had brought food. But instead, he smiled widely.

"Good! This cake looks very good," he said. Kei was one hundred percent sure he was up to something, he just didn't know what. "You can take my food if you want," he said.

Hinata also seemed a little surprised at how things were going, but not particularly sad and promptly gave his own food to Yamaguchi.

"Let's eat" Kei announced and they sat at the tables.

Kei tried not to think about it too much when he put the first piece in his mouth and immediately opened his eyes wide. Shit, it was really good! Even better than it looked. It tasted much better than most, just missing Kei's favorite places, and look, he knew a thing or two about strawberry cake.

Beside him, Yamaguchi also ate the cake that Hinata had made. The redhead looked good with the change of food. But Kei couldn't help looking at him and thinking how unfair it was that he was the only one who hadn't eaten what he had brought.

"It's very good," he praised and Hinata looked at him satisfied.

Seeing the way he seemed proud to receive a compliment from Kei, made him feel even more guilty, even though he wasn't going to admit it. Hinata should not be deprived of eating his own delicious strawberry cake.

"Hinata, eat," he called and pushed his own cake and cutlery towards him.

Hinata stared at him with wide eyes, unable to understand what he was doing. Honestly, even Kei couldn't believe it. But he knew it was the right thing and he really did want to do this, even if he had to let go of that small piece of heaven.

"Take it," Kei encouraged when Shōyō just looked at him, static.

"But…"

"It's not fair for you to be left with nothing," interrupted Kei firmly. "Eat, before I change my mind," he said.

This time, Hinata listen to him and ate two bites, looking still a little scared, completely abandoning Yamaguchi's food. Then he slid the rest of the cake back to Kei, happy as if he had just won a match against Nekoma.

Kei took the cake and continued to eat. Strangely, it tasted even better now. Not that it had anything to do with Hinata's smile, of course.

Kei could feel Yamaguchi's eyes on him, but he didn't care when Hinata started talking about how unfair the teacher had been today - despite how he thought it wouldn't be a problem to use his cell phone to watch a volleyball game in the middle of a class was beyond Kei's ability to understand.

"If you want to stop by my house later, I still have some cake left," Hinata confessed.

First, Kei was thrilled, just at the prospect of eating more of this wonderful cake - how the hell had Hinata managed to get the point he liked so much? - later. Then he panicked at the thought of going to Hinata's house, wondering how he should act. Finally, he got suspicious of this invitation, because he well knew that they had a study session today.

"This is not a maneuver to skip the study, is it?"

"We can go after eating," muttered Hinata. "Or study and go. But then Yamaguchi will be bored."

"Hum, I can not go with you today," Yamaguchi said. "My father asked me to go with him to help my aunt move out," he said. "But why don't you two just study at Hinata's house?"

"Yeah, it can be there!"

"Your mom won't mind?" asked Kei.

"Nah, she likes having people around. Even more if it is to see me studying," he said.

Right. Of course Tsukishima wasn't freaking out with the possibility of maybe going alone to the boy's house that he liked. Absolutely not.

* * *

Tsukishima knew that there was something strange about his friend refusing to give Hinata the cake and his suspicions were confirmed when he stopped him at the end of class, when he was about to go and get Hinata to study.

"You know, I've known you for a long time," said Yamaguchi. "And I never, ever, saw you sharing strawberry cake," it was true that Kei normally did everything he could to keep the food for himself and had refused to give it to his own mother.

"And…?" Kei shrugged, pretending it was no big deal.

For a moment, Yamaguchi looked at Kei as if he wanted to argue about something.

"Nothing," he gave up in the end.

But he didn't have to say it, because Kei knew what he was thinking. And he wasn't going to confirm it. It was bad enough that he was liking Hinata, he didn't need anyone else to know the pathetic feeling he had.


	4. Four

Shōyō was more impatient than usual, anxiously counting the seconds for the class to end.

He had spoken to his mother and although she still wasn't very happy with him, she seemed to be happy at the idea of him taking a friend home with him. And Tsukishima-kun is always welcome here, she had spoken delighted, making him roll his eyes. His mother didn't even know him, but she already loved him for the extra study he gave him.

Kageyama stared at him openly, as if he was blaming him for being distracted in class, which was ridiculous, since he was doing nothing and none of them usually paid attention.

Hinata made a face back at him, before continuing his drawing (if it could be called that) of Kenma setting the ball to Kuroo, trying to see how it was different from when Kageyama did.

His thoughts somehow left this duo, ending up in Tsukishima again, and it was only after a few minutes that he realized he had stopped drawing entirely.

Kageyama, for his part, was concerned about his friend. He had been acting weirdly since he got back from the break, looking more unable to be quiet and making a weird dreamy expression.

Of course, Kageyama knew that Hinata and Tsukishima had improved their relationship, probably since they returned from camp, and especially after they started studying together. But getting to a point that for some reason Hinata wanted to give food to the arrogant boy? It was absurd.

"Are you sure that Tsukishima didn't poison you?" Kageyama asked as soon as the class ended and they were free.

"What? No, I was the one who bought the food," replied Hinata confused. He was feeling well, just agitated by the thought of meeting Tsukishima again.

Kageyama shrugged. With Tsukishima, it was always a possibility that they could not rule out, no matter how much it would also affect him by leaving embezzlement in the team.

"I have to go," said Hinata, throwing the rest of the material in the bag, without the slightest care.

Kageyama found this action even more strange, because normally Hinata was dragging himself to the study sessions with Tsukishima, although he always seemed to be in a good mood afterward and had commented several times that he was learning.

"You don't have classes with Tsukishima today?" he asked.

"I have," he replied. "He will go to my place."

Okay, Kageyama was very concerned.

* * *

"No. Absolutely not," said Kei. This had to be a pathetic try of a joke.

Even with Yamaguchi's irritating questions, he was in a good mood. The idea of spending time with Hinata outside of school and that cafeteria was tempting and he allowed himself to imagine some scenarios in which they would stop studying a little to enjoy each other's company.

Of course, all of that had been ruined in the instant he saw Kageyama waiting for him with Hinata, who had asked if he couldn't go with them. Strangely, the redhead didn't seem to be in a good mood, but Tsukishima didn't have time to think about it with the horrifying prospect of having to put up with the King of the Court any longer than he already had to.

Kageyama's eyes were cold, as if he suspected that he had some reason to refuse his presence there, other than the fact that he didn't like him.

"What's the problem?" He asked.

"I already have to teach an idiot, I will not teach two." Tsukishima replied, making Hinata give him an ugly look.

"It won't change anything, Kageyama will be quiet," said Hinata.

_The day was going so well, but of course the King had to disturb everything,_ Tsukishima thought angrily.

* * *

Kageyama's presence changed things. Even after the initial discussion, the atmosphere continued to be tense, the only conversation being made by Hinata and he didn't even seem to be excited.

They stopped at a restaurant for lunch and Hinata and Kageyama started arguing about each other's food, which only angered Kei more. Maybe it was stupid, but since Hinata had called him, he had imagined that he would have his full attention, and seeing that he seemed so much more interested in the stupid setter made him angry.

Kei was the first to pay for the food and he left the restaurant without saying anything, waiting outside. He closed his eyes, trying to calm himself. It was irrational to be so angry, he knew.

He felt a hand touch his shoulder and opened his eyes to see Hinata's worried expression.

"Why are you so angry?" he asked.

Tsukishima did not know how to respond. The truth was not an option, there was no way he would admit that he was feeling jealous. But he also couldn't think of a convincing lie.

For what seemed like an eternity, he and Hinata just stared at each other, trying to understand what the other was thinking. However, the moment was broken when Kageyama appeared and Hinata suddenly left.

Kei could almost be grateful for that, if he wasn't the reason he was angry.

* * *

Hinata's house was as Kei had imagined, so colorful and full of things. It wasn't messy, but it looked crowded. It was quite different from his own, which was as empty as possible.

"Sorry for the intrusion," Tsukishima said, when he and Kageyama followed Shōyō around the house.

"Ah, my mother is not home, only Natsu," said Hinata, shrugging.

As if attracted by her name, Hinata's younger sister appeared. She looked so much like him that there was no doubt that they were from the same family.

"Hey, Natsu, did you eat?" The owner of the house asked, in a gentle tone. "Mom said that you did, but if you're still hungry…"

"Mom made a lot of food," she denied, not looking even a bit worried.

Kei observed the interaction fascinated. He was the youngest brother in his family and he had no doubt that Akiteru loved him, but he had never treated him so attentively.

"Kageyama-kun!" she spoke excitedly when she saw the visits with her brother.

To Kei's surprise, Kageyama smiled a little, like a smile from a normal person and not the threatening one he always wore. It was no surprise that he met Hinata's family, but that displeased Kei even more.

"Who is he?" she asked, turning to look at him.

"This is Tsukishima, my friend," explained Hinata.

This surprised Kei. Of course, they were spending a lot of time together, but he didn't think that the other one really considered him a friend, nobody outside Yamaguchi really did.

"Hi," he said sheepishly.

He had no idea how to act with a child, having simply kept as much distance as he could from them all his life.

"My brother said you like strawberries," she said. "Is that true?" she seemed to be evaluating him with the question and even though it was ridiculous, he didn't need the approval of a little girl, Kei got nervous.

"Yes," he admitted, hoping that was the right answer.

Natsu smiled at him as if she was happy with his presence there. She didn't say anything else before grabbing Kei's shirt and looking at him as if he was going to guess what she was up to. She dropped it and started walking.

He looked at Hinata in panic.

"You should follow her," he said, enjoying himself.

Tsukki narrowed his eyes at him, but still followed the little Hinata. In the end, she wanted to show the newest video game that she was playing.

Kageyama and Hinata talked quietly in the room, laughing every time Kei lost (and some of them he wasn't even letting Natsu win). He knew he still had to study with Hinata, but he didn't have the courage to say no to Natsu when she seemed so happy, especially when she got tired and lay down on his lap.

Any irritation that Kei had felt before was gone and he was completely calm now. Not even looking at Kageyama and Hinata and knowing that he would never be this close to him that way irritated him anymore. He was just happy to be there.

Surprisingly, it was Hinata who said it was more than time for them to study and told Natsu that she had to go to her room, that they were going to play some more later.

Of course, it wasn't that simple. She got sad and almost started to cry and for the first time, Tsukishima and Kageyama made identical expressions of panic, but Hinata did not seem moved by it.

She got up, ran, and hid behind Kageyama. He hugged her.

"Natsu," said Hinata in a disapproving tone. "I already told you that you can play later".

For a second the two brothers faced each other, but Natsu seemed to lose the silent dispute, because he released Kageyama and went slowly to her room.

"Sorry for that," Hinata said awkwardly. "Younger brothers, you know…" and then he looked at them and sighed: "Or not".

The study was much less fun than the rest of the day, and, as Kei had predicted, having Kageyama there meant even more work than usual. The King was unable to concentrate for three seconds and argued with him every time, even when his own notes showed that he was right.

Kei was already getting a headache and the only thing that kept him from exploding was the presence of Hinata there, who seemed to be taking extra care not to irritate him, perhaps feeling the level of his patience.

"Okay, okay, I think we've learned enough for today," Hinata said when Kei and Kageyama faced each other for too long.

"I'm going home," Kageyama announced, and those were the best words Kei had heard all day.

He celebrated silently, thankful that he finally didn't have to waste his time trying to teach someone he clearly didn't want to. He wasn't even angry with Kageyama anymore because of Hinata, but only because of the horrible personality of the setter. Seriously, how could anyone stand him off court?

Hinata just nodded, even looking relieved at that.

* * *

Despite the difficult start, Hinata was proud to say that he considered Kageyama his friend, perhaps even his best friend. Even when they weren't talking about volleyball, he liked to talk nonsense and spend time with him. They had gotten even closer when they ended up in the same class in the second year.

But that did not mean that he was happy that Kageyama had gone with them to his house that day. He had even argued a little with him, saying that he didn't think it was a good idea for him to go, but the setter was afraid that Tsukishima would kill him or something and nothing seemed to be able to stop him from going along.

On one hand, Hinata was extremely touched that Kageyama was showing so much concern for him, especially as it showed how much he had changed. On the other hand, he just wanted to avoid confusion and, if he was honest, he wanted to spend time alone with Tsukishima that didn't involve studying, studying and studying.

And as Hinata had predicted, Kei seemed to be extremely irritated by the teammate's presence. Hinata would not know what to do if they started fighting there, without the help of Yamaguchi or Ennoshita to calm things down.

_I'm glad Kageyama left_, he thought as soon as he had just lead Kageyama to the door. Maybe he shouldn't feel that way, but it was the truth, he was a lot more relaxed now.

He found Kei sitting on the chair in his room, where he had left him. He had refused to move to see Kageyama go, leaving comments on how even royalty should be able to do this alone (Kageyama just rolled his eyes).

"Well…" Hinata said uncertainly, not knowing what to do. He had wanted so much to be alone with him, but now he couldn't think of anything to say or do.

'Do you want to see a movie?" Kei interrupted him, seeming to realize his despair. He was relieved.

"Yes, it would be cool," he replied taking the remote control and switching to Netflix. "I bet you like foreign films," he said, amused.

He could imagine Tsukishima at home, choosing films that no one had ever heard of and that were so intelligent that they were difficult to follow. He could even see him getting irritated if someone bothered him at that moment.

Kei shrugged. Yes, he saw a lot of foreign films, but he also saw many national films and animes. He had even accompanied a drama once, though he would never admit it out loud.

* * *

It wasn't as difficult as Hinata imagined to decide which film they would see. They end up putting the Prince of Persia - The Sands of Time. He threw himself on the bed the moment he played the movie, happy.

But then he looked at where Tsukishima was, still in the chair. He knew from experience how uncomfortable it was to watch TV from there and as a good host he shouldn't let him stay there.

Still, he was afraid that if they went to the living room, Natsu would wake up to the noise, so they would have to make it work on his room.

"Hey, Tsukishima..." he called.

The other stared at him, looking away from the film. Without knowing why, Shōyō felt nervous.

"You can sit here, the chair is not comfortable enough," he commented, subconsciously wincing.

Kei seemed to hesitate for a second, but got up and sat on the empty part of the bed, leaning his back against the wall and lightly on Shōyō.

* * *

Shōyō told himself that everything was fine, that he wasn't freaking out with Tsukishima's proximity. No, no way the fact that they were so close to his bed that their legs touched affected him.

But the truth was that he failed to notice that the movie was over until he felt Tsukishima staring at him. That was how distracted he was.

"It's different than what I had expected for a video game movie," said Tsukishima. "But it's good".

Hinata agreed. For the few scenes that he remembered clearly, the film looked good, but not what he thought it would be when he learned that it was based on a video game.

"Any movie with Ben Kingsley can't be bad," he replied.

Tsukishima smiled slightly, as if he had guessed from his response how much Hinata was a fan of the actor (he had successfully hidden that information so far).

Hinata told himself that he had no reason to feel all the happiness he did.

* * *

After they saw the movie (which Kei really enjoyed, although he thought it could be better thought out), they went outside and chatted quietly as they walked.

Kei was having fun, it was different to spend time like this with Hinata. But he was not satisfied, he already missed the feeling of having Hinata's body close to his, having spent the entire film hyperconscious of it. Once again, he felt pathetic. Why couldn't he control his own feelings?

Maybe if he was paying more attention to his surroundings, he would've been able to notice Hinata approaching him, but he wasn't. He only knew it when he lost his balance and the water in the pool grew much closer than it should have.

Kei couldn't believe it. Hinata had pushed him into the pool, with clothes and everything. He was going to kill him.

Hinata tried to contain his laughter when he saw Kei's murderous expression. He hadn't been able to stop himself from seeing him strangely distracted and so close to the pool, it was a unique opportunity, even though he knew he had a good chance of dying now.

But he stopped laughing when Tsukishima took his revenge, also pulling him into the water. It was colder than he expected and he shivered.

"Did you think that I don't have any clothes here?" Tsukishima spoke irritably.

"That's easy. Just borrow my clothes," replied Hinata, not wanting to admit that he hadn't thought about that.

He rolled his eyes when he heard the other mumbling something about how it better non-stink and took the opportunity to dive. When he came up again, Kei was floating and Hinata thought he had never seen him with such a calm smile. He was so handsome that it hurt.

"What?" the blonde asked when he realized he was being stared at and approached Hinata.

He was suddenly nervous about Tsukishima's inquisitive gaze and proximity.

"Er… you looked like gah…"

Tsukishima just stared at him, surprised at Hinata's inconsistency. Yeah, he was always terrible at vocabulary, but it was a long time since he honestly couldn't understand what he meant.

"...Handsome," murmured Hinata, not knowing that he was still speaking aloud, he was so lost in Tsukishima's eyes. How could they be so different from everyone else he had ever seen? They even managed to be more extraordinary than Lev's, which were a unique shade of green. But Kei's seemed so much more interesting, deep.

Tsukishima felt that he was a little red, with the unexpected compliment. This wasn't even the first time that Hinata said he was handsome, but there was something about the sincerity and intimacy of the moment that made him feel good.

He looked at Hinata who seemed to have finally realized what he had said, his eyes widening. For a second, Kei simply stopped thinking and ended the rest of the distance that existed between them.

Kei had never kissed anyone before and the first thing he noticed was how wet Hinata's lips were, as well as his own. But then euphoria took over and all he could think about was that it was happening.

Then he thought about how he wasn't sure that Hinata wanted it and, _what the hell was he doing?_, it was official: he had gone crazy for good. He moved away as abruptly as he approached.

"Sorry," he said, not daring to hold Hinata's shocked look and leaving the pool as fast as possible, his heart beating painfully.

* * *

It had been a few seconds since Tsukishima had left, but Hinata had been unable to move an inch. He could barely understand what had happened.

He couldn't believe it when he kissed him, but he was so happy. This went beyond any expectations he had had and for a moment, he allowed himself to believe that everything would be all right. Everything was perfect.

Of course, all that happiness disappeared when Kei ran away, just saying sorry. But sorry for what? He couldn't think that this was wrong, no.

A second ago, he had felt happier than he had ever felt, even better than when Kageyama decided to lift the ball for him, than when they defeated Aobajousai, when they had won the place for Nacional.

Now, he felt so lost and lonely, still immersed in the cold water of the pool.

* * *

Tsukishima was still upset. Why had he done such a thing? Hinata would never speak to him again.

To make things worse, in his haste to escape from Hinata, he ended up entering his house wet, leaving a trail of water wherever he went. He promised himself that he would clean up afterward.

And it was only when he locked himself in the bathroom that he noticed that because it was not his home, the towel that was hanging there was not his. He hesitated, not knowing what to do or who to blame - because it was Hinata's fault for throwing him in the pool, wetting him all, but his for having run away without a plan - until he gave up and decided to get the towel from Hinata. It was better than continuing to wet everything and frankly he was cold.

He took off the clothes that he was wearing, started squeezing out the excess water, and dried himself with the towel, feeling infinitely better. Then he looked at the clothes that were still wet, considering staying there forever, hidden from everyone, before putting them back on. He immediately regretted it, but he couldn't walk around Hinata's house in a towel, not after what he had done.

He left the towel where it was. But he didn't have the strength to go out and face the consequences of having impulsively kissed Hinata.

* * *

Hinata saw from the wet floor that Tsukishima had entered the house, making it obvious that he had gone to the bathroom. He stopped in front of the door for a good five minutes, not knowing what to do or say.

"Hey, are you all right?" he asked at last. He waited for a while but got no answer, so he decided to try again: "Come on, Tsukishima... you can get out of there".

Tsukishima answered it this time, opening the door.

The first thing that Hinata realized was that he was still wearing the clothes from when he threw him into the pool. He must be freezing.

The second, less important at the moment, is that he still seemed unable to face him.

The third, totally irrelevant, was how adorable he was with his slightly red face and wet hair.

"Let me grab some clothes to you," said Hinata.

"No need," protested Kei. "I'm fine".

"Tsukki…" Shōyō spoke in a disapproving tone. Without giving him a chance to argue, he turned and went to the bedroom, returning with the two biggest blouses he had and a pant that belonged to his father. "Sorry, maybe it is a little small".

"No problem. Thank you," Kei answered.

Hinata looked at him with concern. Was he so bad that he was going to miss the opportunity to joke about his size? Were things that strange?

"I'm going to get changed," Kei warned.

With that, he took the clothes and closed the door again. Resigned, Hinata separated clothes for himself and waited for him to finish so he could get dressed too.

But he almost had a heart attack when he left. The clothes fit in Tsukishima, since he had bought it without being his size on purpose, because he found it more comfortable to stay at home, but narrowly.

And it was clear the reflexes of the exercise that Tsukishima did playing volleyball. Shōyō told himself that there was no way to avoid the stare he gave at how much his shirt defined his muscles, he was only human, after all.

"Hinata?" Tsukishima asked with an amused tone.

_Shit_,Shōyō thought when he noticed that he had noticed his look. He was so screwed.

"I'm… going to take a shower," he announced unnecessarily, grabbing his clothes as fast as he could and running to the bathroom.

* * *

Tsukishima knocked on Natsu's bedroom door, even though it wasn't closed, smiling when she looked up from her cell phone to talk to him.

"Hey, Natsu, do you know where there's a floor cloth?" he asked, but seeing her blank eyes, he realized that she probably had no idea what cleaning products were. "Do you know where your parents keep what they use to clean the house?"

This time, she understood and dropped the phone on the bed, excited to show it. He told her to be careful not to slip. There, he found the cloth and began to dry the rest of the water.

Natsu, different from what he expected, kept him company, telling stories about her and her family. Tsukishima laughed a lot with some of the embarrassing moments that Shōyō had gone through.

There was only one person who hardly appeared in these stories: their father. For the first time, Kei noticed how Hinata hardly spoke about his father and wondered what had happened between them.

"Do you want cake?" she asked. "Onii-chan made Kasutera for me yesterday. I think there is still some left. It's my favorite," she stopped and smiled at him adorably. "But I will let you eat."

Kei tried to pretend that he wasn't totally stupid with the cuteness she was exuding and that he didn't feel special, he didn't care about children. But… who was he trying to deceive? He had loved the little one.

"Thank you, I'm honored, but I'll leave it to you. Your brother promised me a strawberry cake," he said.

"Mom got mad at him yesterday. She was yelling with him, because he used her strawberries to make a cake," she said in a conspiratorial tone. "But he said it was an important cake".

Tsukishima froze at the words. He should have heard it wrong, Shōyō hadn't made the cake for him... but what else could he think? He had personally offered the food more than once. If he had done this for him and had been scolded for it...

"There you are," said Shōyō, appearing in the room, already duly changed, looking totally relaxed.

He smelled good, so different from how Kei got used to, post-workout. And every second he was less sorry to have kissed him and feeling more like doing it again.

Shōyō and Natsu started talking for a while, but honestly Kei didn't pay much attention, trying to organize the mess that was in his head (he failed).

He only returned to land when the Hinatas started eating and somehow he had a plate of strawberry cake in front of him. With Natsu there, all the strangeness that Kei had been feeling since the moment he stupidly decided to kiss Shōyō disappeared.

But looking at the time, Kei knew he had to get home or his parents would be worried. He had already troubled Hinata too much. He looked again at Shōyō and Natsu's animated faces, feeling a certain sadness at leaving.

"It was delicious," he commented, speaking sincerely. Seriously, Hinata was really good at cooking. "But I have to go".

Shōyō looked as sad as he did at the thought of leaving and Natsu even frowned, stopping sulking only when Kei gave her a goodbye hug.

"Um, my things are still in your room," commented Kei and Shōyō took him there.

Kei may have taken a little longer than usual to organize things, but soon he had no more excuses.

"You can return my clothes later, I won't be needing them anytime soon," said Hinata.

Kei was grateful for that, not wanting to come back in wet clothes at all. There was also the fact that Hinata's shirt smelled a little bit like him.

"I'll take you to the door," Shōyō said.

They walked in silence and Kei felt strange. He wanted that day to never end, despite all the confusion he had had.

"Thanks for having me," Kei said, smiling sincerely. "Natsu is great, you could learn a thing or two from her".

"It was great," Shōyō smiled. "We have to do something like this again".

Suddenly, it didn't seem so bad to leave. He was going to be able to do this more often. Kei couldn't wait.

"Bye," he said at last, taking one last look at Hinata.

"Bye," he replied back.


	5. Five

Shōyō tried to ignore the memory of the brief kiss that he had exchanged with Tsukishima and he had managed to do it until half the day, since they were always surrounded by other people at school and the confusion of conversation distracted him.

But now that the two were alone in the cafeteria it was much more difficult to ignore and he knew his face was a little red as he tried not to face Kei openly.

He couldn't hear a word of what he explained on the subject and he was missing so many questions that it looked like he had gone back to the time he studied without his help.

Still, unlike the beginning, Tsukishima didn't seem to be angry with him. If it were before, he would have stopped talking and even moved away until he managed to focus again. But now he had never really criticized him.

Why could Tsukishima was so beautiful even if he did something as boring as teaching? It wasn't fair. Shōyō wanted more than ever to close that distance between them and repeat what they did last time and even more...

He leaned his head on the table, desperate to hide his face, afraid that somehow Tsukishima would be able to guess his thoughts. He didn't even care how uncomfortable it was.

How could he look at Tsukishima and not remember the day before? How close he got, to feeling his lips on his owns...

"Are you alright?" Kei asked, gently, interrupting his thoughts.

"Yes," Hinata lied.

Kei did not believe him at all, but he preferred not to dwell on it. Because he suspected he knew what was the reason for Hinata acting strangely. He hadn't been able to look at him directly all day, always looking away as soon as he noticed that Kei was caught looking at him.

He was not happy that Hinata felt so bad about what happened that he couldn't even deal with him. He wanted to see him smile again, responding with fire to any provocation he had done. He wanted to make sure it didn't happen again, that he could be calm.

But despite all that, he failed to force himself to say the words, because he knew that if he could, he would be kissing him in the next second. And after that. Whenever he could.

If he thought that it was bad before, now that he knew how it really felt like, it was ten times worse. He barely managed to control his strange will to touch him, like, now that Hinata put his head on the table, he wanted to run his fingers through his hair and see what it was like.

Kei wanted to say something, anything, to break the silence between them.

"If you need anything, I'm here," he finally offers.

"I know," Shōyō replied with a lovely smile.

It was true. He didn't know exactly when it happened, but at some point in his life Kei became a person that he knew he could trust, someone he knew he could ask for help.

Kei was surprised by his response, by the confident way he spoke. He doesn't remember anyone else for putting so much trust in him and that makes him happy.

"Can we stop studying a little?" Hinata asked.

Perhaps, if he wasn't showing such hopeful expression, Kei could have denied, but that way there was no way to resist that. Besides, they weren't making any progress anyway.

"Ok, but tomorrow I want to see your questions all answered," Kei spoke firmly.

"Right!" Hinata said too happy with that to worry now about how to learn what he should've studied today.

"What are you doing?" he asked when he noticed that Kei was throwing everything in his bag and calling the waitress.

Kei looked at him confused. Since they were there to study, he already thought that now there was nothing else to do, they would leave.

"Stay," ordered Hinata, his tone leaving no doubt about how much he wanted his company.

He sat back, letting Hinata do the talking. After a while, it was as if nothing had happened before and they talked quietly, with Tsukishima making jokes about Kageyama and Hinata in turn sharing what he knew by Kenma (who in turn, learned by Kuroo) about Kei.

A waiter interrupted the moment, bringing the second coffee that Hinata had ordered for some reason (ah, so that's what he had ordered - Kei was totally distracted to hear what he had said).

Hinata took a long drink, satisfied. Then he simply offered it to Kei.

"This is my apology," he said simply, "for being so distracted today."

Kei smiled and also drank the coffee. It was as good as the smell and he didn't regret taking it one bit, even though it was his second. But he didn't finish it anyway and just put it in front of Hinata again the cup.

They stayed like that for a little longer, talking quietly and sharing the coffee.

None of them wanted it to end, but it was getting dark and Kei knew he still needed to organize some things at home. Then, they paid the bill and walked to the place where their paths separate, stopping for an instant.

"Hey…" Shōyō spoke uncertainty.

Kei looked at him, curious to hear what was coming next. He knew what he wanted to hear, but he doubted it was that. Hinata was not going to confess to him like that.

But Hinata didn't say anything right away, just came over and kissed his cheek. Too shocked, Kei had no reaction.

"See you later," Shōyō spoke simply before walking away.

Leaving, he saw the stunned look of Kei, who was standing in place without believing what had just happened.

* * *

It was a normal practice like any other, with Ennoshita trying to stop the chaos, Noya and Tanaka telling horror stories to the first-year players while they were training to control the ball.

It was also the first time that Hinata and Tsukishima had met after breakfast and Kei could have sworn he could still feel his lips on his face until now. He had even blushed a little when he saw Shōyō, but forced himself to ignore it and focus on training.

Everyone on the team already looked a little dead when Ukai finally gave them a break to drink water and they scattered around the gym in search of bottles. All but Hinata, of course, who looked as energetic as ever next to Tsukishima.

Kei was not going to lie, he liked that Hinata had the habit of always looking for him on breaks, although usually, that meant having to tolerate Kageyama too. Luckily, the King of the Court today seemed busy trying to trade some strategy with Tanaka.

He was just having fun, teasing Hinata by refusing to return the bottle of water he had stolen from him, placing it on top of his head.

"You should treat your boyfriend better, Tsukishima!" Hinata said out of habit. They got so involved with each other in the coffee that it had end up coming out naturally.

Yamaguchi immediately looked at Kei, shocked by the sudden statement. He didn't seem to know how to react, just looking at him with pure confusion and a little panic.

Tsukishima was grateful that at least there were only three in that area, it would be much worse to have to face the whole team. Like, how horrible would be if he had to put up with Kageyama asking for explanations about what he felt for Shōyō?

At least it was his best friend. He could explain a little bit of what was happening, even if he would rather die than go into details (how he was going to say that he was madly liking Shōyō and that they were mistaken for a couple, but that for more that he wanted, they had nothing?).

"Yeah, I should have, but it wouldn't be funny," Kei replied matter-of-factly, handing the bottle back to Hinata.

Kei remembered that they had been in a similar situation a while ago - with him teasing Hinata - but now it was different. This time, he was having more fun than anything. And there was a much more welcoming look on the redhead's face.

Just seeing him like that made it worth knowing that he would have to explain to Yamaguchi later about him calling him a boyfriend and his feelings. Besides, it was funny to see how his best friend looked like he was about to pass out.

* * *

Yamaguchi tried to stop himself from laughing when Tsukki finished explaining what happened in training. Seriously, it was like having entered an alternative dimension to see Hinata calling Tsukishima a boyfriend with such pride and naturalness. He knew they were closer now, but what?

Not in a million years would he have imagined that Tsukki and Hinata studying together would lead them to act as if they were a couple. Still, the two seemed to be acting too happy with the scene for it to be all pretense.

"But do you like him?" he asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"Yes," Tsukishima admitted.

"Then why don't you ask him out?" Yamaguchi pointed out the obvious. "Or confesses".

For a long moment, Kei just stared at him and Yamaguchi accepted that he was not going to say anything and was already about to change the subject, for fear of having gone too far.

"But he doesn't like me," said Tsukishima.

Yamaguchi thought of everything he had seen since meeting Hinata. It was true that Kei's treatment of him had changed, but it worked for both sides. Hinata always seemed proud of the things that Tsukki did. He smiled differently with him. Hinata had brought food to Kei. Besides all this story of continuing to act as a couple.

"You know, for a very smart person, you can be quite stupid sometimes," he said.

"Huh?"

Yamaguchi rolled his eyes, deciding to let the matter go for now. Tsukki was smart enough to find out for himself what he meant.

* * *

Tsukishima was a light sleeper, so even though he was sleeping he could hear the notification sound from his cell phone. He ignored it the first time, but then the cell signaled another message.

He was surprised, wondering who it could be, since everyone he knew should be sleeping. Afraid that it was serious, he decided to read the messages.

It was Hinata asking if he was awake and shortly afterward apologizing for disturbing him, saying that he had not seen the time.

Worried, Kei went on alert and replied that he was awake already, that he had no problems. Even though Hinata was quite inconvenient at times, he never disturbed others at night, at least not that Kei knew about.

* * *

Shōyo sighed in relief when he saw Kei's response. Honestly, he wasn't thinking when he pulled out his cell phone and typed a message for him.

He had woken up from a nightmare, and even though he couldn't remember what it was, he felt his heart beating faster and suddenly the room itself felt so cold and too dark.

If he had to guess, he would say that the nightmare was caused by the fight he had with his father. He hadn't planned on yelling at him today, but when he got home and found out that his father was going to miss Natsu's dance performance from school, he couldn't control himself.

What was the use of his father working so hard if he couldn't even attend events like that? He could already see how sad she would be when she realized that he hadn't come, again.

However, Shōyō didn't even think about his father when he woke up, only in his own unmotivated panic and how he wanted something, anything, to calm him down.

Somehow, his brain not fully awake thought it would be a good idea to text Tsukishima in the middle of the night.

He didn't know why, but he knew that of all the people he knew, Kei was the one who could calm him the most now. He wanted to be as close to him as possible.

Only later did he think how selfish it was and that the boy had nothing to do with his insomnia. He did not deserve to be woken up by something so stupid. He immediately apologized, saying it was nothing.

But to his surprise, Kei didn't sound angry (at least he from what he could feel) and he said he was already awake.

Hinata wanted to call him, but he knew it was going too far and was content to talk to him for a bit by message.

* * *

Kei smiled when Shōyō tried again to argue that the team he supported was better. But no way, just because Kei's was going through a bad phase didn't erase all the titles they had.

Kei sent again the number of medals they had already won and Shōyō replied that he had managed to do three aces in a row (!) in the last game.

Everything seemed peaceful, but Kei couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong with Shōyō. Of course, the fact that he had sent messages at dawn was a good indication, but he sounded weird too.

* * *

Hinata was 100% tired. This did not mean that he was not happy.

Even with the little sleep he had had, the conversation with Tsukishima had left him in such a good mood that he didn't even care about how crappy he felt.

He smiled at his friends as he sat in the same chair as always, close to Kageyama. It didn't take long for the setter to arrive and ask him if he would say happy birthday to Yachi.

Hinata looked at him startled. He had totally forgotten about that! He hadn't even congratulated her.

"If you are so bothered by it, why not sat it now?" suggested Kageyama.

"This is your first good idea," said Hinata, pleased, getting up from the chair and taking advantage of the fact that the class would still take a while to start.

"Hey, idiot! I have great ideas!" protested Kageyama, irritated.

Hinata ignored him as he headed for Yachi's class.

* * *

The first thing Tsukishima did when he arrived in the room was to lay his head on the table. He was exhausted and was in no mood to put up with anyone.

He put on his headphones and played the last playlist he was listening to, just so he wouldn't have to put up with the noise from the classroom. He was desperate to regain some of the sleep he had lost.

It wasn't like he really regretted or was irritated that he had spent more than an hour talking to Hinata in the middle of the night, but he definitely missed the rest he should have had.

He thought once again how much he liked Hinata Shōyō. Why did the time he spent with him never seemed enough? Why did he have to be so different from everyone else? Why did he manage to attract his attention no matter what he did?

He knew he was in love with Hinata and as much as he tried to ignore what Yamaguchi had said, he couldn't stop thinking about it. He wanted to know what it would be like to have him liking him too, what it would be like to be able to do everything he wanted with Shōyō.

But he also knew that he wasn't going to say anything about what he felt. There was no chance that Hinata would feel the same. Not when he was him. He would never like a person like Kei when he was able to get someone much nicer.

* * *

Hinata felt better now that he had spoken to Yachi and had been forgiven by her, who said she had no problem with him forgetting to congratulate her, as long as he really went to her house on the agreed day.

He was about to return to his class, when he impulsively decided to go to Tsukishima's class. He went there, ignoring the curious looks he received.

Only when he was near Kei's chair did he realize that the other was sleeping and wearing headphones, in a clear sign that he didn't want to be disturbed. He looked so peaceful there, with a relaxed smile, that he was extremely adorable and once again Shōyō was taken aback by how handsome he was.

The sight did strange things to him, he couldn't quite explain what he felt, but it was a mixture of guilt with admiration. Was Kei so tired that he decided to sleep because they had been talking at such late hours?

"Hi, Hinata. It's all right?" asked Yamaguchi.

Hinata almost jumped in surprise, he hadn't noticed Yamaguchi getting close with how absorbed he was with looking at Kei. But seeing the pinch server, he realized that he had a different smile, as if he knew something he didn't.

"Er, yes," Shōyō replied nervously. "I just came to ask Tsukishima something, but he must be tired…"

Yamaguchi smiled and they talked for a while until the bell rang and Hinata ran to his class in despair. Kei only woke up after he left.

* * *

Tsukishima was at Yachi's birthday party. She had just called him, Kageyama, Hinata and Yamaguchi to go to her house, having apparently celebrated with her other two best friends that day.

He tried to ignore how handsome Hinata was, wearing decent clothes for a change. He told himself that as it was his friend's birthday (or something), he should pay attention to her and not focus on how he secretly wanted to kiss Shōyō again.

The party itself was good, with everyone having fun and making fun of each other. They had even gone through a series of challenges, including getting Kageyama to send a video declaring himself to Shimizu-senpai, after a debate over what it would be like if the two coldest ones liked each other. But even before she answered, Kageyama explained that it was just a challenge and she just sent a "nice".

It is true that in the beginning, it was a little weird, because nobody really knew what to do, except Hinata. Because Kei could guarantee that he had never gone to the home of other girls or Yamaguchi and he could bet that the King didn't either. Hinata, on the other hand, seemed completely at ease, chatting with everyone, but mostly with Yachi.

Things got more comfortable when they started playing video games and Yachi practically destroyed them all, with Yamaguchi being the only one who came close to defeating her.

And if Kei had been especially happy when they were having pizza at the table and his leg was touching Hinata's, nobody needed to know.

* * *

Shōyō left Yachi's birthday feeling very happy. Partly because he realized that Yamaguchi liked her and now he could tell his friend that she was not suffering in vain, but mainly because it had been something so fun and different.

Everything had gone as smoothly as possible, disregarding some screams that they couldn't avoid or the provocations that Tsukishima and Kageyama did to each other (but even these were not really violent today).

It was a day that he wanted to relive a thousand times and it wasn't even over yet. He was now taking the bus with Tsukishima to return home, as it was more or less the same way (Kageyama and Yamaguchi were still at Yachi's house, waiting for their parents).

They had ended up sharing an earbud after Tsukishima had started listening to music on his own and Hinata stared directly at him for a few minutes, then poked him. Kei had sighed and without saying anything else, offered the earbud and they have been like that ever since.

"I'm very happy that you came," said Hinata, breaking the silence.

"What do you mean?"

"I wasn't sure if you were coming," Hinata shrugged. "You know, you are very closed at times and do not want to interact with anyone".

That was fair; Tsukishima normally preferred to be alone than having to deal with the idiocy of others. But pausing to think, he didn't mind when he was called for the crazy activities that Yachi and Hinata invented to do from time to time. In fact, he even liked it.

"It's not so bad to go out with you," Kei admitted.

Hinata smiled at him, as if it were an early Christmas present.

"That's nice. Because I like you," he said simply, as if it were something completely normal.

Kei went completely still beside him, as if he had been shocked.

"You don't mean…" he started to speak. It wasn't possible that he got it right, he must be imagining things. Of course, Shōyō meant as a friend and nothing more.

"Is it that hard to believe?" Shōyō spoke.

Yes, Kei almost answered. Shōyō was so different from himself that it was strange to imagine that he could be interested in someone like him.

But…

Now that Kei thought about it, there had been some signs. Shōyō always looking for him, always happy by his side, the cake... not complaining about the kiss. They were little things... but it was something.

Was he telling the truth?

Before he could get his thoughts in order, however, Hinata smiled at him and walked away from him.

"This is my stop. See you later, _Kei_, " he said.

That was the final blow. Kei knew that he would never forget the way Hinata pronounced his name. He wanted to hear it again.

* * *

Shōyō was freaking out. He didn't know what came over him. It was true that he had never been a person to keep secrets or think about things, but even he should have thought better than just throwing that bomb at Tsukishima.

What if the boy didn't like him? What if he never wanted to talk to him again? Worse, what if he refused to train with him and Hinata made it complicated for the whole team?

He had thought that Kei probably corresponded to what he felt, considering that he had kissed him and treated him differently from the others. But it could be that the day he kissed him at his house was just an impulse or even attraction. What would he do?

Kei certainly didn't respond as he expected, standing still and just looking at him in a panic. The situation had become so weird that Hinata had become desperate and had taken advantage of the fact that the bus door was opening for an elderly woman to leave and went with her.

"It wasn't even my stop…" he spoke to himself, shaking his head afterward.

He was going crazy. Why had he done such a thing? He could blame the day's euphoria on his impulsiveness, but he knew it wasn't. Deep down, he wanted Kei to know.

To complete the mess he had made, he had called Kei by his first name. It was true that for a while he thought of him more as Kei than as Tsukishima, but he had never given permission to call him that. What if he didn't like it?

* * *

Tsukishima felt awkward, entering Hinata's classroom, especially considering that they hadn't spoken since his sudden statement. But he had to make sure that Shōyō would go study with him at the cafe.

He found the boy surrounded by classmates, laughing as he told a story. For once, Kageyama was nowhere near him.

"Hinata?" he called, making the other stop in the middle of the sentence.

He seemed to have seen a nightmare when he turned to him, totally scared and it caused Tsukishima to despair. But he soon smiled his normal smile.

"I'll be there in a second," he replied and distanced himself from his colleagues a little, so that he and Kei had certain privacy.

Kei was still very nervous, but he relaxed more when he had Shōyō close by.

"I just wanted to confirm that you're going to class today," said Kei.

For a second, he could have sworn that he saw the disappointment in Hinata's eyes.

"No problems. I'll be there," he spoke much colder than usual. "Was that all?"

Kei nodded. There was nothing else he wanted to say, at least not there, not in front of everyone.

Hinata looked disappointed, but returned to his group of friends and completely ignored Tsukishima's presence as the other left the room.

* * *

Hinata told himself that he could do this. It was just coffee, nothing compared to what he had already faced. But the thought of spending time alone with Kei and pretending that nothing had happened was maddening.

He regretted how cold he had been that day with his friend, but he couldn't help it. He had been so hopeful that he would answer the confession he had made, and instead, Tsukishima just wanted to know about studying.

"Come on," he said to himself, before putting on a smile and opening the cafe door, finding Kei already sitting at the usual table.

* * *

Kei was nervous. He was good with many things, but not with feelings and he was afraid of ruining what he had with Hinata. If he didn't know he needed to do this so as not to hurt him, he probably wouldn't even have the courage to try.

"What do you want to study today?" Shōyō asked, in a much more serious tone than usual.

This agonized Kei. He wanted to see him happy, smiling and doing stupid imitations, not so far away.

But he could understand why he was doing this. He must have thought that Kei didn't like him or care about him. It was time to undo this misunderstanding.

"Hinata," he called.

"Hmm?"

"I think I finally figured out what I want you to do," Kei said. "For the study sessions".

"And…?" he had an uncertain look, as if he didn't know if he should be suspicious.

Kei could hear his heart beating and he has never been more scared in his life before. Now was the time. He was going to risk everything. Perhaps it was the moment that Shōyō would disappear forever from his life.

"I want you to kiss me," he said.

Hinata smiled. He turned his face away and didn't hesitate before ending the distance between them. This time the kiss was much more intense than the other, really taking advantage of the time they had to explore each other.

"But just to make it clear. I did it because I wanted to, not because you taught me," he said.

Kei didn't care what his motivation was, although he was even happier to hear that he did it because he wanted to, as long as they could do it more often.

"I like you too, Hinata Shōyō," Kei said.

* * *

_The End_


End file.
